Drying and pulverizing apparatus



Patented Aug. 22, 1882.

J. F. GUBBINS.

DRYING 'AND PULVBRIZING APPARATUS.

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. GUBBINS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRYING AND PUL\ /ER|Z|NG APPARATUS.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 263,172, dated August 22, 1882,

Application filed January 18, 1882. N0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. GUBBINs, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain Improvements in Drying and PulverizingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for drying and pulverizin g animal and vegetable matters; and it consists in certain details of construction hereinafter set forth.

Hitherto machines or apparatus of this kind have commonly been constructed with a hollow shaft to receive steam, and have been provided with an open outlet-pipe to carry off the water of condensation from the steam'space. Under such construction it has been found difficult to prevent the entrance of steam and l moisture into the inner chamber, the latter by condensation, and a large loss of steam has occurred. The admission of steam or moisture I to the interior of the cylinder materially re closing doors or devices, as shown.

tards and impairs the drying and pulverizin g operations and lessens the efficiency of the apparatus. To overcome these diffiulties I construct my improved machine as illustrated in the drawings, in which- Figure I represents a longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 2 a transverse vertical section, of the machine; and Figs. 3 and 4, views showing the arrangement of the heaters or blades.

Arepresents a strong framc worlgupon or in which is mounted a stationary horizontal cylinder, B, provided with an enveloping jacket or outer cylinder, 0, both tightly closed at their ends, as shown. The cylinder B is furnished with charging hoppers or openings D and discharge spouts or openings E, provided with The openings to and from the inner cylinder, B, are walled to prevent communication with the steam-space a, and a pipe, F, opens from the side of the charging-hopper or directly from cylinder B to carry off the vapors arising within the cylinder, a suction-fan, G, being connected with the pipe to exhaust the vapors andto carry off the foul odors. The steamspace a is provided with one or more steam-inlets, J, and with a steam-trap, K, by which the water of condensation may pass off without permitting the escape of the steam. This trap may be of any usual or well-known construction, the floatvalve shown being well adaptedfor the purpose.

Passing longitudinally through the cylinder Bis a central rotary shaft, H, carried in boxes or bearings b at opposite ends of the cylinder, and provided at one end with a driving wheel or gear, I, through which motion is imparted to the shaft. The shaft is furnished within the cylinder B with two series of heaters and scrapers, L and L, which are constructed and arranged as shown in Fig. 3, where they will be seen to consist of a series of blades, a, secured upon radial arms d, which serve also as heaters, the arms being in turn bolted to collars e, which may be adjusted upon or around the shaft, as desired. The blades 0 are inclined relatively to the shaft B and stand in planes intersecting said shaft at an angle, the blades of the series L being inclined in a direction the reverse of the blades of series L; The blades of series L are arranged to alternate with those of the series L, as shown in Fig. 3,.and, as a consequence of the reverse inclination and alternate arrangement, the blades are caused to move the material back and forth in far more eflicient manner than could otherwise be done.

A circulation of steam through the space a may be produced in any usual way, and an inlet to cyliuderB may he provided and furnished with a valve or damper to permit and control the "entrance of air to furnish the necessary draft for the fan G.

The operation is as follows: The cylinder B is charged with material to be treated, the outlets or openings are closed, steam is admitted to space a, and the fan is put in motion, drawin g off all vapors and odors arising from the material under treatment. The drying action is facilitated by the mixing and turning of the material, exposing all its particles andpermitting the vapors to escape freely. As the matter becomes dry it grows friable, and is rapidly pulverized and disintegrated by the blades 0 and beaters or arms cl.

I am aware that tobacco has been dried in a chamber heated by a surrounding body of steam and from which air or vapor was drawn by a fan and I am likewise aware that clay has jacketed cylinder into which steam was ad- I mitted to aid in effecting the plastic-condition of the clay.

' terial is subjected to a beatin g and mixing action, instead of being merely caused to roll over or fall from ledges on the walls of the rotary cylinder. It differs from the second of these in that, instead of admitting steam to the material under treatment, I carefully exclude it therefrom, and in that I draw off the vapors and moisture, which in the plan referred to remain.

I am also aware that it is not broadly new to incline mixing or stirring blades to the right and lett for the purpose of working material back and forth, this having been done in coffee-roasters.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- 1. The herein-described drying and pulverizing apparatus, consisting of the cylinder B, provided with a central shaft carrying heaters and scrapers and communicating with an exhaustfan, and the outer cylinder, 0, communicating with a steam-supply and provided with a steam-trap, substantially as set forth and shown.

2. In an apparatus for drying and pulverizing ofl'al, the combination of a steam'jacketed chamber, a shaft extending longitudinally through the chamber, and two series, L L, of scrapers and heaters, the blades of one series alternating with those of the other and inclined in a reverse direction thereto, as shown and described.

JOHN F. GUBBINS.

Witnesses:

. W. G.MINAR1,

HARRY F. MCBRIDE. 

